“Phreak” on the Fresh Fish shortlist

The manuscript for my first novel, Phreak, has been shortlisted for The Writer’s Alliance of NL’s Fresh Fish Award. I share this honour with Terry Doyle, for his short story collection We All Do and Matthew Hollett for his poetry collection, Optic Nerve.

“The universe of Phreak is richly detailed, compelling, clever, terrifying, and well-written. The description of dystopian St. John’s is nicely layered satire and social statement. The jury found it an intriguing, entertaining, and provoking read. The setting and supporting characters are well crafted. It stood out from other submissions as a unique and highly creative work.”

I’m working on a new project in Toronto (announcement coming soon) and so can’t be in St. John’s for the big ceremony at Christina Parker Gallery next Thursday November 23rd. I’m sending my good friend Ruth Lawrence to stand in for me and read an excerpt from the novel. Terry and Matthew will also be reading from their manuscripts. The event is free, drop by if you are in downtown St. John’s.

Part of my writing process involved personifying the character and exploring the text through performance. These images are from a residency presentation at Artscape, Gibraltar Point last year.